Caroline Glick: The isolated American Jews
British Jewry abandoned Labour in droves and devoted their communal efforts to calling out and fighting anti-Semitism in the Labour Party after Corbyn first won the leadership race in 2015. Some 90% of British Jews voted for Conservatives in last year's elections. In contrast, American Jews are among President Trump's most outspoken and peripatetic demonizers.Ruthie Blum: This election goes beyond the candidates
What explains the yawning gap between American Jews and other Western Jewish communities, not to mention between American Jews and Israeli Jews?
American Jews are giving the Democratic Party a pass for abandoning them because they don't want to acknowledge that they are being abandoned. Despite the progressives' hostility to the Jews, the Jews want to remain progressives.
Among the progressive Jews who have noticed the rise of anti-Semitic forces in their party, they are consoled and given permission to remain in the party from Jewish leaders and public figures who insist that while things are not perfect, or even good in their own camp, they can stay because Trump – while nice to Israel – is a crypto-Nazi.
Repeated, fact-free slanders from the likes of Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt and from writer Bari Weiss alleging that Trump praised white supremacists at the Charlottesville riots in 2017 – even when he condemned them, both during and immediately after the riots three times; along with allegations that Trump dog-whistles to white supremacists and thus enables their attacks against Jews, enable progressive Jews who are concerned about what is happening in their party to stay put despite their concerns.
Skyrocketing assimilation rates among American Jews indicate that all things being equal, most Jews on the political Left will cease identifying as Jews within a generation and a half. So, too, the rise of anti-Zionist American Jews who support the annihilation of Israel as a Jewish state indicates that in the coming years, more likely than not, American Jews will take leading roles in the Democratic/progressive campaign against Israel. Notably, two months after he called for Israel to be destroyed in a column in the New York Times, last month the NYT gave leading American Jewish anti-Zionist Peter Beinart a regular column.
As their massive support for Biden indicates, regardless of what the future holds for them, American Jews today are isolated more than ever before. They are isolated within their political camp which doesn't care about them, and they are isolated within the Jewish world.
On the other hand, the battle goes well beyond the personalities of the incumbent and his rival, which is why many people championing the former are just as put off by his manner as those who would rather die than see him remain at the helm. Indeed, the outcome of this election will determine the very character – and reveal the self-image – of the United States.Danny Danon: US Election Day: The issue that should concern us all
At an Independence Day ceremony at Mt. Rushmore on July 3, Trump summed it up as follows: "Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children ... This left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution."
Ironically, it is a description with which the "squad" – House Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilan Omar (D-MN.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) – would agree, albeit without the negative adjectives. They make no bones about their dim view of the country that they wish to reshape in their "progressive" image. They do not hide their intention to undo all of Trump's economic accomplishments at home and foreign-policy successes abroad.
Omar recently said that if and when Biden becomes president, all cabinet positions should and will go to members of her camp. She knew when she uttered those words that it didn't matter whether the Democratic candidate was listening.
She was right not to care, because it is the radical arm of the already extremely liberal party that is pulling the strings with or without Biden at the helm.
The Iranians invented the game of chess. Now they tensely wait for the next move, the most significant one immediately after the election. Trump has led a courageous policy of withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear deal and imposing significant sanctions. He recently hinted that he will be willing to enter direct negotiations with Iran. Biden has addressed the Iranian issue many times and also expressed his commitment to preventing a nuclear Iran.
His recent interviews have indicated that he is keen to reenter the JCPOA, improve the agreement and correct its shortcomings.
The US Department of Defense is busily preparing strategies and options in the face of the continuation of the Iranian nuclear race. However, before the president-elect enters the briefing on Iran, he must take into account a number of basic assumptions.
First, there is no probationary period. The Iranians do not work according to the US election schedule. While the US’s attention has largely shifted to the fight against COVID-19 and its own presidential election, Iran’s nuclear industry and concealment efforts have advanced at astonishing speed.
Second, any agreement with Iran is doomed to be breached. Prior to the signing of the nuclear agreement, Israel issued warning calls against the deal. Not long after, we witnessed live the full disclosure of Iran’s deception and the revelation of the Iranian nuclear archive, which unveiled the Iranian nuclear machine. We have heard unequivocal rulings by the International Atomic Energy Agency and have noted the numerous UN Security Council resolutions. With these facts at their disposal, it is clear to everyone that Iran has violated the previous agreement, and will unequivocally continue to violate any future agreement.
Third, the only language that leads to a real dialogue with Iran is the language of sanctions. It is this and the subsequent economic pressure that effectively motivates the Iranian leadership to recalculate its course. Yet, worryingly, there is not much time before the “sunset clause” kicks into force and the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear program will expire.
Mr. President-elect, the elections are clearly for the position of president of the United States. However, they are also an appointment for the leader of the free world. Tackling the Iranian issue is the most crucial challenge we face in our free and democratic society.